Let the (mind)game begin - Pinch Hitter
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Let the (mind)game begin

Manoj Madhavan - Thursday, April 17, 2008 6:59 PM
In a cricket crazy country like India writing on cricket could be fun yet potentially dangerous. The decision to enter this risky zone was not entirely mine... considered a good (local) cricketer within the organization, my choices were limited when asked by a colleague to write on the Indian Premier League.Money, glamour and politics have all been talked about. One angle, though, escaped the scrutiny of most experts: the long-term implications of forming a team with cross national identities. The point I am trying to make is will a Harbhajan playing for Mumbai Indians reveal to his current team mates the short comings of a Yuvraj Singh playing for rival Kings XI Punjab? The big question is will such information exchange not lead to an eventual loss for the any player/ team when it plays its next international match?

My other observation is more as a cricket spectator. With all the hype, cricket enthusiasts were expecting to see some icons in action on Day 1. But with Misbah-ul-haq, Anil Kumble, Chanderpaul, Shoiab Akhtar, etc. not likely to show up tomorrow, will it not be a disappointing start?

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9 Comment

From ramesh pathania

April 18, 2008 12:59 PM
people are spending money to see the sheer intensity of 20.20 cricket ,cheer leaders and the bollywood glamour factor attached to it.It is a new phenomenon in India.At the end of the day ,players and team owners will make money.As it is, most of our players are unpredictable......? So who cares ,what they talk about each other and to whom.

From VIPIN SHARMA

April 18, 2008 1:13 PM
wonderful manoj a very nice piece---- but the diffence between a great crickter does not lie in his weak nesses well hidden but to fight it out ( if surfaced ) and let the willow talk --- for example in sachins case i am confident that let the whole cricketing world be on one side with a complete study of his shortcomings ( if any ) even though his class & talent will remain unquestioned--- but this does not prove you wrong but just my view point---thanx

From Kaushal Goyal

April 18, 2008 6:27 PM
I think the cheerleaders and the Dravids, Gangulys, Pontings, Kallis et.al. will take care of the soft start bit. You're right about the info leak part though.. though the players are supposed to 'gentlemanly' but as we all know they are anything but.

From Venky

April 19, 2008 2:22 PM
Well, finally the day has come. After all the hoopla, over-hype, millions of dollars, Bollywood Superstars, and dancing on the street, the IPL has finally come into action – finally, what it was meant for. The IPL is unarguably the most hyped cricket event ever held. Even more than the World Cup! Players from all nations excluding England and Zimbabwe are here to make their bank balances heavy and keep their accountants more occupied

From Sagar

April 19, 2008 2:38 PM
Its time to Delhi Rocking

From venky

April 20, 2008 4:20 PM
Am right now watching the Deccan Chargers' match with the Knight riders... saw the rarest of rare instance of us indians dancing and cheering Gilly & Symmo.... Jai IPL Devaya Namaha..!!!!!

From Smitha Shaji

April 21, 2008 10:10 AM
I fully agree with Mr. Madhavan, because in India, cricket if not yet a religion, is quite close to it. Yes, IPL may lead to the disclosure of vital information (shortcomings/strengths) of most Icon players and its subsequent dissemination to rival nations might do more harm to our own team’s future strategies/ aspirations. May good sense prevail and our players should refrain from revealing this kind of info and not get carried away resulting in self-destruction.

From Rajender

April 22, 2008 6:26 PM
Dear manoj your observation on the IPL issue is relly great but I don't think players who are participating in IPL think more then the money its all money game,they only concentrating the bank account, each match is covered by about more then 20 on field cameras you don't need harbhajan to sort out yuvi's weak points and more over there is no criket tournament in all over the world right now so let finish the work and enjoy sixes of Mcculam, afridi, shane watson,andrew symonds, Hussey and enjoy....................... really good time pass with young girl & bollywood stars dancing on the stage Good Luck

From Sunita Menon

April 22, 2008 6:44 PM
Well any new format will have its share of negative and positive comments. When the transition from test matches to one day was made similar view on how its becoming commercial, ceasing to be a gentleman's game etc popped up. Mixed international teams have worked very well in tennis and soccer....it should do well for cricket too and add to that the tadka of Bollywood, here you have a sure winner with masses lapping it up and ICC fellas laughing all the way to the bank.

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